A reflection of the soul

According to the Indian concept of Vastu, a home built on the basis of its laws attracts happiness, wealth, healthiness and serenity. For the wellbeing of humanity as a whole, all houses, villages and cities should be constructed in harmony with nature. This certainly appears to be the case with this home, an old barn that has been converted on the slopes of Valcamonica, a beautiful setting that looks out onto the fertile landscape of sky and mountains. Here, every detail represents a piece of the project’s stylistic jigsaw, a blend of nature and design which continuously feed off each other to form a coherent whole. A wonderfully harmonious symphony. The materials form the walls and the greenery becomes a temple where works of art find their natural habitat. As such, the house is not just a home but the perfect embodiment of its inhabitants, a couple that love art and beautiful things. Here the vibrant and pulsating materials take centre stage. Strong, homely stones. In the daytime area with its large and well-defined volumes, the slate floor contrasts with the templar white of the walls and beams. The stylistic choices of the interior design project revolve around large pieces where additional elements aren’t needed. They complete one another in their iconicity. The niche that accommodates the Knoll Saarinen table, over which the Zeppelin pendant lamp by Flos hovers like a cloud, warmly embraces the marble top and the large windows afford a view of the idyllic garden. Here, rocks and scents of lavender reign supreme and the work by Mattia Trotta, an artist originally from Savona but based in Bienno in the Brescia area, is a paean to freedom. The continuum created between the interior and exterior by the large arch windows is also repeated in the ultra-modern kitchen with its raised ovens.

The Boffi island kitchen is in brushed steel and illuminated by the iconic PH Artichoke pendant light. The silicone vases on the worktop are from the Fish Design range by Gaetano Pesce. There is plenty of focus on the psychophysical wellbeing of the owners. The loft, in warm tones of turtledove and cream, is furnished with a sofa that looks out at the mountains and is warmed on cold winter evenings by the large freestanding Focus fireplace. This area is also a gym, complete with a comprehensive range of apparatus to guarantee total wellbeing. Here, the space opens up with a series of transparent panes that lighten the overall feel. The main nerve centre, according to this interpretation of Vastu, is without doubt the swimming pool area. A grandiose and silent space which exudes wellbeing, its windows let in the light and greenery of nature and its internal spaces are divided by glass panels so that those who sit back on the Cassina leather sofas and Frau pony skin armchairs in the relaxation area can savour the spectacle of water on slate. As ever, the furnishings are minimalist but the details are high-impact, just like in the works of Mattia Trotta. As is to be expected when a house is not just a home but a temple and museum. From here we head down into the heart of the home, where the house appears to be carved out of rock. Raw cuts, imposing presence: here, meals are taken sitting at the wooden table with chairs by Vitra, surrounded by the freshest of natural materials; the contrast between the stone surfaces and steel of the Boffi kitchen is quite unique. The owners’ passion for beautiful things is in evidence everywhere, even in the hallway where the tribal masks and statues, proudly displayed on the Henge bookcase, wink at the painting by Raffele Cioffi. And then it is off with a quick glance at the Cristo Re sculpture by Darfo artist Timo Bortolotti which with its golden reflections stands out against the verdant landscape.